Find Justin on Instagram

Tyler interviewed Justin Su’a, now a performance advisor with Performance Advisory Group (PAG), on building confidence in athletes, coaching strategies, and managing focus in a distracted world. Justin works with executives and head coaches in the NFL, NBA, and MLB, and approaches performance through a systems lens rather than traditional mental-skills terminology.

• Confidence follows focus: Direct attention to past successes rather than failures or future worries. Confidence is not an accurate predictor of success; build competence and skill instead.
• Productive vs. unproductive self-talk: What works varies by athlete and context. Some thrive on sharp, emotional cues; others are hurt by mechanical thoughts mid-game.
• Close the feedback loop: Track performance to gather evidence that feelings don’t dictate results. Use a quick daily routine: pick one focus item, review it at the end of practice (inspired by Eduardo Salas). Reflect on what went well, what was learned, and one thing to improve.
• Systems thinking for coaches: When athletes excel in practice but struggle in games, isolate root causes rather than assuming. Change one variable at a time, and invert problems to find the simplest, highest-impact fix.
• Engineer the environment: Counter device distraction by designing settings that prioritize purposeful engagement, and set clear environmental standards.
• Coaches must model it: Teach leadership skills, foster intrinsic motivation, and build personal systems for stress, such as boundaries and recognizing unhealthy coping habits.

Get the Book here!

Find Doug on Social

Doug Crandall was interviewed for the Elev8 Podcast, where he shared his leadership philosophy centered on "building or diminishing" others, developed through his experience teaching at West Point and coaching his son. He introduced four leadership archetypes and emphasized that effective leaders can maintain high standards while using positive communication to build confidence, capability, and trust in others. The conversation concluded with a discussion on how coaches can develop player-led teams by earning trust and transferring ownership of standards to their players.

Get Collin's NEW Book the Oz Method

Find Collin on Instagram

The conversation between Tyler and Collin centered on Collin's new book, "The Oz Method," and its application to performance, leadership, and sales. They discussed the book's core concepts, including the use of the Wizard of Oz analogy to represent different dimensions of communication and the importance of creating systems, like the Yellow Brick Road, to achieve goals. Collin explained the "confidence card" tool, detailing how it helps performers focus on past successes, preparation, support networks, anchor statements, and identity to build credible confidence. They also talked about the 3x3 grid for setting daily, weekly, and monthly behaviors to drive progress

Find Jodie's YouTube Channel

Jodie's Website

This podcast episode featured Jodie Jackson discussing the impact of media consumption on mental health and performance, particularly for student athletes and coaches. Jodie shared her personal journey from experiencing anxiety and depression caused by consuming negative news content for six years to creating the website "What a Good Week" as a therapeutic response, which helped her shift from believing the world was awful to recognizing its progress and potential. She explained how media functions as a psychology platform designed by behavioral scientists with business models that prioritize shareholder interests, and emphasized that people need to actively design their media diet rather than passively consuming content. Jodie discussed the importance of understanding how media affects the brain through repetition and mirror neurons, and shared her vision for making mental nutrition and fitness as standard as physical diet and exercise in education and sports training. She provided practical advice for managing media consumption, including measuring usage patterns, asking whether media serves to tune out or tune into potential, and treating the mind as a valuable asset requiring protection. The conversation concluded with Jodie offering three simple tips: learn from experienced guides, apply the knowledge rather than just understanding it, and get information from notebooks into one's nervous system through action.

Pre-Order the Book out Nov. 3

Tyler interviewed Jim and Phil about their new book "The Daily Champion's Mind: 365 Days of Mental Toughness Training with the World's Greatest Athletes." The authors explained that the book focuses on treating each day as a training opportunity for mental skills, with daily lessons from famous athletes like Rory McIlroy and others. Each chapter represents a month and takes place at famous arenas, featuring quotes from athletes and mental game lessons structured around morning intentions, midday adjustments, and evening reflections.

The group discussed resilience and preparation, with Jim emphasizing the importance of being prepared every day and not just for specific events. Phil shared a story about Michael Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman, highlighting how unconventional training methods helped Phelps adapt to unexpected challenges during the Olympics, particularly when his goggles filled with water during a race. Tyler then connected these themes to his work with student athletes, noting a common desire for increased confidence and resilience among young people.

Jim discussed how confidence in sports and performance varies with experience levels and emphasized the importance of using memory correctly to maintain confidence. He shared a story about Rory McElroy, who acknowledged he should be more confident in his abilities despite his transparent and deep-thinking nature. Jim highlighted that athletes often get philosophical in the wrong way during challenging times and suggested focusing on past successes to build authentic confidence.

Jim emphasized the importance of maintaining confidence by focusing on one's achievements and experiences rather than selling oneself short. He discussed how athletes can build confidence through consistent effort and participation, even in challenging situations. Jim also shared his approach to helping athletes find focus through the four C's: compete, celebrate, communicate, and compete anyway, emphasizing that confidence is more about attitude and memory than feelings.

Jim and Tyler discussed the importance of focus and concentration in performance, with Phil sharing insights from Roger Federer about balancing long-term vision with present-moment focus. Jim emphasized the ability to quickly refocus when the mind drifts and suggested viewing mental wandering as natural rather than a problem to be solved. The conversation concluded with Jim explaining the value of daily reflection for unloading mental baggage, allowing athletes to compete hard while remaining light-hearted.

Jim and Phil discussed strategies for maintaining mental focus and recovery in athletic performance, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries, practicing self-reflection, and managing negative self-talk. They highlighted the need for athletes to balance work with rest and recovery, sharing specific examples like PGA Tour players and NBA legends to illustrate effective self-care practices. The conversation also covered techniques for positive self-talk and visualization, with Jim and Phil encouraging athletes to recognize and reframe negative thoughts as part of developing a "champion's mind." The discussion concluded with information about their upcoming book "The Daily Champion's Mind," which will be released on November 3rd.

Find more on the Daily Debrief Habit Builder

DebriefAdvantage.com

Jeff discussed his background in military aviation and his current work helping teams debrief to improve performance. He explained that effective debriefing requires developing a habit of regular reflection, particularly in Western cultures where self-reflection can be challenging due to vulnerability concerns. Jeff outlined a five-step habit model (G-R-E-A-T) for debriefing, starting with gratitude to create a positive mental state, followed by reviewing goals, and then evaluating performance through specific questions about what was done.

Jeff presented a five-step debrief model focusing on what worked and what didn't work, emphasizing the importance of recognizing both successful and unsuccessful aspects to drive continuous improvement. He explained that the model helps teams develop a championship culture by identifying successful dynamics to repeat and learning from failures to improve over time. Tyler agreed with the approach and discussed the importance of creating a collaborative environment for debriefs, particularly in sports teams where coaches often struggle with accountability and responsibility.

Jeff discussed a 5-step quick model starting with why they are glad to be present, emphasizing the importance of developing a culture of continuous improvement through consistent practice rather than perfection. He explained how fighter pilots use visualization techniques, including chair flying, to prepare mentally for missions by envisioning every aspect of the mission from start to finish. Jeff stressed that the goal is excellence rather than perfection, and that visualization helps condition the mind to see what good performance looks like.

Jeff and Tyler discussed the concept of "chair flying" and its application beyond sports, including in personal and professional settings. They explored strategies for conducting productive debriefs, particularly when challenging conversations arise, with Jeff emphasizing the importance of starting with gratitude and self-identification of mistakes. Jeff outlined three key traits that distinguish good from bad debriefs: structure, appropriate length (five minutes), and regular, daily practice rather than only addressing failures.

Jeff shared his experience of his first combat mission in the northern Arabian Gulf during the initial ground waves into Iraq, where he provided close-air support to Marine Corps infantry units. He recalled the plane captain's words "This time it's for real" and the realization that years of training were about to be tested in a high-stakes environment. From this experience, Jeff developed his approach to helping teams debrief and improve, focusing on addressing the question of "what if I'm not good enough" in high-performance environments.

Jeff discussed the importance of reflection and adjustment in debriefing processes, emphasizing that experience alone doesn't lead to improvement without these steps. When asked about advice for his teenage self, Jeff suggested focusing on the idea that "it's all gonna work out" and recommended reading "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey.